When the extraordinary becomes ordinary

Have you ever pulled into your parking spot at work or school and realized you can’t remember a single moment of the drive? When we see and do the same things every day, it’s easy to go into autopilot.

As our familiarity with our surroundings increases, our awareness of their specialness decreases. This is true, not just in our morning commutes, but in our spiritual lives as well. In Habakkuk 2:14, God describes a time when the earth will be shaken out of autopilot and filled with an awareness of His glory.

The world wasn’t lacking examples of God’s glory. God’s glory was all around Israel, just like it’s all around us. Everything we find beautiful in nature — from the mountains to the beach — was made by God and points to how magnificent He is. The problem was a lack of awe for the God who made everything they depended on.

Taking for granted the God who made the wood, the people started making their own gods. And while we don’t see a lot of wooden idols today, we aren’t that different from the people God was warning when He said, “How foolish to trust in your own creation— a god that can’t even talk!” (Habakkuk 2:18).

When we allow anything other than God to capture our awe, we’ve made an idol. Idols aren’t just statues. Idols take all forms — the need for acceptance, the love of money, the identity we find in roles at work or at home.

Removing idols from our lives doesn’t have to take the destruction of nations. Rediscovering our awe starts with the choice to give God credit and honor for all that we are, all that we have and all that we can do.

No matter how many steps we’ve taken from God, He hasn’t moved. God is still in His holy temple displaying His glory (Habakkuk 2:20). We just have to stop long enough to see it.

Reflect:

Is there any area of your life where you’ve allowed yourself to become more captivated by something God created than by the Creator Himself? How has that affected your awareness of God’s presence around you?

Is there any area of your life where you’ve grown so used to the extraordinary that it’s become ordinary? How has that affected your awareness of how God provides for you?

Giving

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